Forever Home
by Emo Fox
Summary: {ABO/Pet AU} Gabriel has been through the ringer as a pet. Having bad owners and some good ones, but none lasting enough for him to care. He didn't believe in forever homes anymore, and despite being comfortable with his foster owner Ana, he didn't entirely think it would be a stable gig either. His fears come to a head when she wants to turn him over to a man named 'Jack'.
1. The Proposition

A young Gabriel was sitting in a glass case with a few other kittens his age. Just toddlers, barely four years old. He found comfort in the nest of blankets that surrounded them and the little purrs and mewls of his peers.

He stood out, dark skin with black ears and a black tail. Equally dark clothing he was dressed in, while the other kittens had bright colored clothing and lighter hair; a calico, a blond and bone white. Black cats weren't rare per se, but they didn't have the best rep, and they didn't normally get adopted.

Not that young Gabriel knew this, he didn't know much of the world at the time. Couldn't remember his mother, just the smell of her sometimes and the memory of her kind amber eyes that were similar to his own. He was taken from her before he learned to crawl, moved from place to place until he was sold to this pet store.

He didn't know how many days he had been in the shop with the bright lights and the many, many faces of new and old guests. He'd been petted and poked and played with more times than he could even recall.

Kittens came and go, but he always stayed.

'Maybe today will be the day you find your forever home!' The caretakers said this a lot, and would ruffle the chocolate curls on his head. Would poke his pudgy cheeks and give him an extra treat.

But days would come and go; the lights in the shop coming on and off and people would leave with other pets. He was always left-

Until one day, a little red haired girl and her tall skinny mother came into the shop.

Eventually the duo found their way to his glass box and the girl pressed her nose against the glass and pointed. In an Irish accent she said, 'I want that black cat mama.'

Gabriel remembered her different colored eyes and how the red on her head looked like fire.

He remembered being so excited to be chosen, to finally be leaving, to have an owner of his very own! He'd gone through the shots that made him fussy, sat for his chip and collar and was cleared to go with his new owner just moments after he had been chosen. He'd held her hand all the way to the car and was buckled in safe and sound.

Gabriel remembered seeing the store in the back of the car window get smaller and smaller until it was out of sight completely.

Gabriel was much older now than his young kitten days, and he didn't believe in forever homes anymore.

The young girl that had first adopted him hadn't been kind. He was used as an experiment of sorts. He was treated meanly, and often left without food or water. He was poked and prodded with sharp instruments and had been burned with fire and acid in places.

She'd given him the scars on his face, and some of those on his body. One of his ears had been cut in half. He'd known fear and sadness and longing in a way he had never had before. His young life was filled with misery for a couple years until the child got bored and the mother dropped him off at an animal shelter.

He was nursed back to full health, given a small cage to sleep in, and no luxuries like he had been used to at the pet store. But it was better than pain and fear, and eventually when he turned ten he was adopted out again. To a boy his age who would show him kindness and love in a way he'd never had before.

Stupidly, he'd fall in love with the human and think that this was finally his fairytale ending.

He had been such an idiot, clinging to any kindness and luxury like a bleeding heart. When his first heat hit he shared it with the boy, as they progressed into their teenaged years he thought he finally found stability.

Only of course, to find out he was just a stepping stone, just a pet to be used since the boy found another human to date and fuck. Turns out, having a sulking molly around kills the mood for two teenagers wanting to neck and explore each other. So, off he went to another animal shelter with a broken heart and feeling worse than he had with the Irish girl.

He'd believed all the humans' lies and affections, had thought he was comfortable and beautiful and happy.

These experiences left him hard; he put a wall around his heart and didn't want to be adopted anymore. He didn't want to be around humans and he hated even his caretakers. He sulked and hissed and scratched anyone wanting to interact with him.

For a long time he was left at the shelter until a few stupid people thought they could 'fix' him. Even with his bad temper and scars he was still a good specimen in the eyes of breeders. When human companions wouldn't do, the breeders had tried to use him.

Of course, that didn't end well either. For a molly Gabriel was big, even when he was younger. With the boy he had worked out alongside him, had done sports and other things he enjoyed at home. He bulked up and gotten strong(even if cats in general were stronger, faster and more agile than their human counterparts). He didn't lose that bulk at the shelter, days spent alone he'd just work out, run, anything to make the time go by faster.

So when they tried to introduce toms, Gabriel had fits. He didn't accept any of them. Even during his heats, he'd attack the other cat. None were able to mount him, and none able to soften his thunderous moods.

Eventually the breeders stopped too and Gabriel was moved to another program. He'd been adopted into a foster program, moved from house to house, cared for briefly by different people while they still tried in vain to find him a real home.

His current foster parent was a woman named Ana Amari. She was older, like him, and had a grown daughter who came and went. Sometimes they spoke English and sometimes they spoke Arabic, neither language Gabriel completely knew inside and out.

He hadn't been extensively educated as most pets weren't. Just the basics, math, writing and other complexities not worth the time spent. Especially since pets were normally just kept in the home, rarely ventured out into the world, and definitely didn't integrate in society.

'Strays' were something like a myth. That pets had actually integrated under the noses of humans and became a part of society. Hiding their traits in plain sight. Maybe when he was younger, full of angst and grit, he would have thought of trying to become a stray.

But a stray was just as mythical as a hybrid. That a human actually would breed and bond with a pet was laughable to him now; but had been a desire for his youthful self. Gabriel actually had no idea if strays or hybrids even existed, and at this moment in time, he didn't care either.

Gabriel was reaching middle age, and the idea of a 'forever home' was a fairytale his stupid child self believed in. Now, he was content to lay around on other peoples' couches, eat their food, and interact as minimally as possible. He was just as aggressive and stone faced as ever, but this had been the longest stay at a foster home he had ever had.

Their time together, had to be going on a year, maybe a little over that. He'd had two heats in her home, and she had been accommodating. She'd given him her bedroom in her small one bedroom apartment. He'd had food and water supplies and even a heating pad. She didn't try and mate him with any tom(though the first heat Gabriel had been expecting it, had been fluffed up and ready to fight).

Despite how uncomfortable his heats were, the two in her home weren't as bad as they could have been. He appreciated her for that, and tried to be a little less of a dick.

Ana wasn't unkind, and despite how much he hissed and batted at her, she'd still try and pet him sometimes. She made him home cooked meals instead of giving him shit from a can, and even gave him treats of raw fish here and there. She didn't mind that he clawed up the furniture nor did she mind that a lot of his day he spent sleeping in whatever place he wanted for however long he wanted.

Her daughter however, he didn't think she was completely on board, but she wasn't mean about it either. Just expressed some concerns; the fact that her mother was on a military pension and all the food the big molly ate, all the clothes and comforts he needed including the vet bills as he got older.

Gabriel didn't pay much attention to those conversations, but in the end, Ana kept him day after day and slowly, very slowly, he was starting to become comfortable.

So it made sense that just as he started to accept Ana's presence and attempts at conversation, that things would change.

One night they both sat side by side on the couch, she had just made a big dinner and he was close to dozing off. Some movie was playing on the TV across the room but he could barely blink his eyes open as his body started to shut down to digest the amazing meal he just had.

It was then that Ana gently tapped his wrist to get his attention and Gabriel drowsily looked at her. More calm and open than he had ever been in her home. "Gabriel, I've enjoyed our time together, but I think I have someone more deserving of you."

That got him to wake up real fast.

He was wary as he looked at her, his tail flicking from side to side in agitation. If she noticed, she didn't mention it, didn't look to it. She held his stare and let the words, and the silence sink in. "I'm leaving?" He finally asked, as clipped as possible, his jaw clenched tight. He didn't want any emotion to flicker across his face.

He'd started doing it again, getting attached to someone.

Of course this was going to happen-

"It's not like that." She said softly, her voice still warm. Her thumb was still rubbing on the bone of his wrist and he hadn't moved it away yet. "A colleague of mine, he suffers from PTSD. Do you know what that is?"

Minutely Gabriel's shook his head 'no', barely a movement at all as his scarred ear flicked.

"Post traumatic stress disorder. It affects everyone a little differently, but for Jack, he had nightmares mostly. Sometimes just episodes of depression, paranoia, anxiety too. He served with me, in the military. Longer tours than I had done, and was still in it even when I had been honorably discharged." She touched the patch over her eye for emphasis. "I think he could benefit from a companion, and I think you'd make a great service animal for him."

"How?" Gabriel snorted, finally removing his hand to fold his arms grumpily over his chest. He sunk back into the couch, all but trying to hide in the plush back of it coupled with the big hoodie he wore.

Ana smiled and offered a small chuckle, "You both are a lot alike. I think you'd get along just fine with him."

"I don't know." Gabriel said, but added a moment after, a little bitterly, "It's not like I have a choice?"

Ana frowned, "Of course you do Gabriel." Though she understood the laws, as well as the lack of rights regarding pets. But, she had hoped Gabriel had thought better of her than that. But, it wasn't an issue she'd press or fuss over. "I'll invite him over for dinner, how about that? If you think you'd get along with him, will you go live with him a while? If it doesn't work out, you can come right back here, I promise."

Gabriel wasn't expecting that, having an out. He expected to be shucked off to the next human and forgotten about. He was quiet while he contemplated all of it, not looking at Ana anymore.

"I've enjoyed our time together, I have. I know we will also have many more moments together in the future. As I said, Jack is a good friend, and I'll definitely still be seeing you."

Ana was giving him a choice, which she didn't have to do. She was letting him say no if he wanted to.

But Ana had been good to him, and she had done so much for him. They had a lot of good moments together, and he did think the older woman was a good person.

Chewing on his lip a moment he finally responded, "Okay. I'll meet him." But, he also expected not to like him. Ana said he had a choice, so if he had this meet and greet and wanted to stay here, she'd let him? Gabriel glanced to Ana then, his body language still anxious and unsure. He didn't know how to ask all those questions that he was feeling but eventually she'd raised her hand and gave him a couple firm pets on his head.

"Thank you Gabriel." She said with a real smile.


	2. Agreement

Gabriel felt nervous even though he shouldn't be.

Ana had said if it didn't work that he was welcome to stay, or come back if he didn't like Jack's home. But there was still that jittery feeling he always got when he was suddenly moved from place to place.

He was used to Ana's home. Used to the woman herself. The place smelled like him. He had his knitted blankets and a dresser full of his own clothes. The couch which he had shredded to all hell was his bed, and the most comfortable spot in the apartment(in his opinion). He'd gotten comfortable enough to share the spot with Ana from time to time(ignoring the fact the couch and the apartment were all hers at the end of the day).

He'd gotten used to Ana's desert smell and the spicy foods she cooked. Had even warmed up enough to her daughter to not outright glare at her or thrash his tail.

Gabriel hadn't realized just how much he had claimed the apartment until he was struck with the sudden understanding that he was about to leave it(or had the possibility of leaving it).

He wanted to hide, to bury under all his blankets and sleep until the day passed and everything was normal again.

But Ana hadn't let him pout and hide. She'd dragged him out to help her cook dinner, and while she cooked(and he prepped a few things) she told him about Jack.

Mostly his career, his military tours and a few personal things. How he was raised on a farm in Indiana and he had a way with animals. That under his tough exterior he was gentle and fun. She told him about his younger years but gave him warning he was going to meet a grumpy old man.

Mentioned that Jack hadn't had any lasting relationships(if any that Ana could even recall as long as she'd known him), that his family now was all dead and the farm was sold. That Jack settled for an apartment in the nearby complex and chose to live on his small military pension as opposed to finding a job(not that Ana thought he was capable of finding a job just yet).

Jack's circle was small, and he'd taken up drinking to cope.

His drinking and his insomnia was one of the main reasons she wanted to step in. Said he needed a distraction, or a live in companion. Jack was opposed to a regulated psychiatrist or a live in human care taker. But, he had been open enough(or rather, folded to her constant pushing) to an animal companion.

Ana thought Gabriel would be perfect for him because he'd need to focus and care for another individual. That they were close in age and both bristly and untrusting. That eventually, she hoped they could heal and grow together.

Gabriel hadn't given his opinion during her entire one sided conversation. Just helped cut this or peel that or hand her anything she needed from the various cabinets and drawers in the much too small kitchen.

Time flew by until the tiny round dining table had been set up for company. The food steaming and out in the various dishes. There were three spots at the table, one for each of them—

Which was unusual. Since Gabriel and Ana never usually ate at the table. Gabriel rarely ever, it was usually just Ana and Fareeha and he took his food on the couch.

It felt weird, even in the most liberal homes he had been in, there was still some line of separation between human and animal. Not that it was primitive enough where Gabriel ate on the floor or out of a bowl(of course not). But as for mingling with the family in such a domestic way, it wasn't common.

This way felt much more formal, and he didn't entirely know how to feel about it.

The doorbell rang and suddenly all the jitters from earlier came back tenfold. His fur bristled on his tail and ears and he tried to slink away only for Ana to chide him, "Come now Gabriel, take a seat, he won't bite you." She winked at that and walked down the slim hall to the door where he heard voices.

Ana's, and another, deeper, rough like asphalt.

Gabriel frowned but took a seat, trying to ball himself on the wooden chair which only made his big body look ridiculous.

Eventually Ana came back into the room followed by a man just as tall as he was. He had bright blond hair that was white at the temples; a strong jaw and fierce blue eyes. His face was bisected by two scars, and despite how rough he initially looked, when he smiled—

It was like the clouds parting from the sun.

"Hello, I'm Jack Morrison and you must be Gabriel?" The question was polite, his hand was out as if to shake Gabriel's own.

Ana had said be prepared to meet a 'grumpy old man', but what he saw was far from a grumpy old anything. Aside from the dark bags under his eyes and the crows feet and laugh lines—

He looked young, well aged like Ana. All of them in the same age bracket; maybe Jack just going prematurely white from the stresses in his life.

Jack smelled a little bitter; must be the alcohol she had mentioned. But it was so faint that it was clear he either hadn't been drinking recently or he took a shower to cover it up.

The molly didn't take his hand, or uncurl, or do anything but stare.

Gabriel didn't know how to take the way his heart flipped in his chest nor how good Jack smelled. His overall scent was strong; carrying over the spread of food in front of him. Bright like sunshine and fresh tilled earth.

He was so overwhelmed so quickly he didn't even know how to react.

Ana cleared her throat as Gabriel kept staring, waving her hand at Jack, "He can be shy sometimes." Which was a lie, Gabriel expressed everything in explicit detail.

If he hated something, you definitely knew about it.

Rarely had she seen him like something or express genuine joy. The closest was when she knitted him his nesting blankets. To which Gabriel cocooned himself and purred so loudly she thought the couch would vibrate through the floor.

That had felt like a win, back then when Gabriel was so shelled up he was akin to a hermit crab.

But now, this reaction, Ana felt a smile teasing her lips which she quickly hid with a cough.

"That's okay." Jack recovered, wiping his sweaty hands on his pants and taking a seat at the table.

Gabriel's eyes followed Jack's movements, like a predator would watch prey. Nose twitching as he smelled the burst of anxiety color the air, the other man suddenly nervous, cutting into his fresh bright scent. His ears were pitched forward, as if his entire body had to be trained and attentive on the blond.

"Does he—"

"He does." Ana cut off the question before it could be asked, piecing food out on her plate and leaning across the table to add food to Gabriel's plate. "He has an affinity for spicy foods. His favorite treat is chocolate with Chile powder. Anything spicy and sweet will work."

Jack looked confused, his attention moved from Gabriel to Ana, "But he hasn't—"

Ana just grinned, she'd known Gabriel long enough now to see he was interested. She'd brought a few war friends over, and the molly had never reacted favorably to any of them. Not in this way, where his entire body was pivoted towards them, nor the way his eyes shone as if ready for Jack to move suddenly.

It was adorable, to her. But to an outside eye like Jack's, well, he looked comically lost.

"He has." She said, gesturing to try and gain Gabriel's attention.

Which only resulted in a huff, a flick of his ear in her direction once before his entire attention was back on Jack.

Jack averted his eyes to the food, feeling so exposed under the cat's stare. He hadn't been around an animal so intense before and he had never really owned pets. Just farm animals, not that he hadn't interacted with any before.

"He doesn't have a sleep schedule, which will probably work well with yours or lack there of." She said in good humor, "He'll also step on any boundary you try and make, so good luck with that."

"I listen." Gabriel finally spoke, turning from Jack but it was with great reluctance. If only because he was hungry, and he couldn't study the human anymore from this distance. He hadn't had this feeling in a long time; the want to touch and rub up on someone else. To scent mark and nuzzle; it was a long buried need and instinct that it was almost foreign when he suddenly felt the needs.

He wasn't near a heat(at least not so extremely close enough it would change how he behaved right now) so it was just Jack making him feel this way, all on his own. Which was both fascinating and terrifying all at once.

"Sometimes." Ana said playfully, chewing her food quietly and watching the two with her intelligent eye.

Jack had finally started on his meal, and next to him Gabriel started to eat. Quicker than the two of them, with less grace and more intent. Each mouthful gave him a flash of sharp deadly teeth, and he could see the long black claws on the fingers that held the fork.

"Don't people normally on indoor pets, uh," He was bad at this, and everything felt as though he was betraying some type of trust. He could never completely get used to the disconnect between human and humanoids. "You know?"

After all, despite some of Gabriel's feline features, he still looked human. Spoke like a human, had the same intelligence in his eyes and the ability to learn.

Unlike the primitive animals on the farm; humanoid pets were head and shoulders above that.

Maybe it was part of the reason he never personally owned a pet. He didn't know how to make a barrier or draw the line in the sand. Like Ana clearly could; could see from the spot at the table which places in the house were the cat's and which were hers.

It was just a little surreal to think about it from an outside view. But it was just how society was. Pets were kept for pleasure or comfort, basically used and cared for in tandem.

Maybe it was just Jack's soft heart but he didn't know how to treat a 'pet' as anything other than human. Which was why Gabriel's clearly animal reaction to him just threw him for a loop.

Gabriel wasn't human, and if he was going to live in his house, he needed to understand that. He'd need to be the caretaker for the cat, and not the other way around. He was a goal, a distraction, like caring for a goldfish only much bigger and more temperamental.

It was a mission, that Ana thought he was capable of carrying out. It was a test.

Ana was also giving him these subtle directions, in how she currently cared for Gabriel and how to treat him. Not like a child but also not like a beast; something in between.

"Jack, Gabriel is a thirty something year old adult molly." She said plainly, "You don't need to pull your words, he understands what he is and has been to a vet more than once." She continued, "Normally yes, indoor pets have their claws and teeth shaved down. Especially if interacting with small children. Gabriel however, has not ever had that procedure." Obvious by the state of his teeth and more so the thickness and healthy color of his nails. "If it is something you'd like to have done—"

"No, no." Jack said quickly, somehow thinking it would be offensive to just try and mold Gabriel to how he should be, or how society expected him to be.

During this conversation, Gabriel hadn't even flinched. Finished his food and leaned back in his chair. His attention shifted back to Jack, staring again, and whether he comprehended everything being said or not, well, it definitely didn't show on his handsome, hard features.

"He's not going to lick his hands and clean himself after he eats either." This was added as a joke but had Jack go red in the face sputtering.

"I wasn't thinking he would!"

"Stop being so tense Jackie." She cooed before laughing, just a hearty chuckle before she waved it away. "He showers like we do. Uses the bathroom, all the usual things you expect from a person. He just has certain habits, and characteristics unique to his species."

Jack had only finished half his plate, his blue eyes flicking to Gabriel every now and then and finding the black cat looking at him with the same intense curiosity as before.

"He's an indoor cat, I don't suggest taking him outside much." She said, getting back into the meat of the conversation.

"You're acting like it's all decided. He hasn't even said a word to me, how do you know he even wants to move?"

Ana shrugged then looked to Gabriel, "Do you want to move in with Jack?"

Finally it was Gabriel's turn to huff and look away, his tail flicking back and forth, hitting the chair legs with a meaty 'thump' every now and then.

"Use your words." Ana chided with mirth, watching the molly struggle to say he wanted something out of the norm. This was a good sign, or she perceived it as a good sign.

"Yes." Gabriel said, his chin up, as if it was the hardest thing he had ever needed to say in his life.

Ana could only smile, "Good." She said, before turning back to Jack. "He doesn't own a lot of things. I can pack it all quickly enough and you can leave with him after you finish eating. I can also give you his heat calendar, he's still pretty regular and his next one is coming in a couple weeks." She continued before Jack could combust from embarrassment, "It lasts a few days and he's going to be in the worst mood you've ever seen. Normally I just give him my room, with some food and water and all his blankets, a heating pad. He'll come off it quick enough and go back to normal."

She got herself up from her chair and walked behind Gabriel briefly. She gently ran her fingers through his curls and for once he allowed it longer than usual. "I've been trimming his hair in this style lately, he's liked it best. His hair grows quickly, so work on your shearing skills or take him to an animal barber."

Her voice grew more serious as she added, "I want regular check ins Morrison, and if he's unhappy you bring him back to me, got it?"

The grit to her voice caused Gabriel to actually bump up into her hand. His ears pinned back and his body suddenly liquid and sensuous. He knew Ana cared for him, and he had started to care about Ana—

But to hear it first hand, the flare of protectiveness in her voice, it made him happy. It also soothed him to know what she said earlier, she had meant it. If it didn't work out, she'd take him back and he would still have a home to go back to. It gave him some peace of mind, even if he was extremely curious about Jack and wanted to explore the place he lived.

"Yes ma'am." Jack said quickly and seriously; he responded best to direct orders.

Ana lost her edges in a blink, "Good. It'll just take me a couple minutes to pack up. Sit tight."


	3. New Territory

It didn't take long to pack up and go. Jack's apartment in the nearby complex, barely two streets down.

Gabriel was used to seeing the outside through apartment windows and the brief stints from here to there when he'd been moved from home to home before. But it had been well over a year since he'd been back in the urban jungle which Ana lived.

The sights, the sounds, the smells—

It was all overwhelming. He'd put up the hood of his sweatshirt over the beanie he wore. His shoulders had been bunched up and his tail kept thrashing back and forth.

Jack had tried to make some small talk but Gabriel had been too overloaded to do much more than nod or grunt.

At least, the sensory overload had overwritten his anxiety from before. He was leaving Ana's for unknown territory; but with each determined step to go somewhere that wasn't outside, it had been easier to coax him to the new place.

Nothing fancy about the building, or the lobby. The paint on the doors were peeling and the hallways were cracked in places. The carpet in the hallways was stained and worn down. The entire building needed a face lift; somehow a downgrade from Ana's even though hers wasn't all that luxurious either.

They hadn't passed many other neighbors on the way in or the way up to the fourth floor. Nothing noteworthy happening at all as Jack slid the antique key into the lock on the door and inside they went.

The apartment was small, smaller than Ana's. Dirtier too, though it looked like Jack had tried to clean up. Empty glass bottles overflowed in a bag next to the trash(which was also full). Dirty dishes in the sink, but a lot of clutter had been moved from one place to another, wedged together in some semblance of cleanliness.

The main parts of the house were wiped and dusted, but the taller shelves and nooks and crannies of the place hadn't seen any love in who knew how long.

There wasn't any photos on the walls like Ana's home. The only lights were the fixtures permanent to the building. No special lampshades or even curtains. Just naked white blinds and dirty glass.

The place had furniture; some looked antique and others like they'd been taken from a flea market. Distantly he remembered Jack's family was dead and his farm sold; he assumed some things had come from the farm, some of the items definitely smelled like open fields and wet dirt.

The floor plan was simple, the kitchen spilling off into the living room and the small entry hallway a wedge between that. A hallway beyond probably led to the bathroom and bedroom.

Overall, it didn't look like a person lived in it. More like a visitor, if anything. Even Jack's smell, which he assumed would have been thicker in his own home was just weighed down by the smell of booze and old food.

The place needed to be aired out; his sensitive nose wasn't going to be able to take this.

"Uh," Jack cleared his throat, "Sorry it's not all that clean. I didn't expect to bring you home so soon."

"It smells." Gabriel said a little rudely, maybe a little on purpose as he worked through everything he was feeling.

That strange magnetism to Jack was still there, even in the cluttered foul smelling space. Coupled with the realization that this was his home now and he should get used to it. Even if Ana said he could go back, something about Jack made him want to stay(for now).

"I'll work on that." Jack said, not offended or at least not showing any of it openly. He was still holding Gabriel's bags, "Why don't you find a place for yourself?"

The molly lowered the hood of his sweatshirt, his expressive ears still hidden under the warm knit of his beanie. He looked from here to there, as if contemplating. "Anywhere?" He asked, dark eyes flicked over to Jack, a hint of mischief in their depths(which should have been his first warning).

The blond's brows furrowed for a moment, thinking the simple question over and not understanding that this was a moment where Ana's words should ring through his head: that Gabriel would step on any boundaries he could. Well, Jack didn't think quick enough to make rules or boundaries and was still a little weighed down by everything currently happening. So, stupidly, he responded with an easy, "Yeah, anywhere."

Gabriel then walked forward, around the living room briefly. Touching the couch and the ratty armchair before he swept down the hallway and towards the master bedroom beyond.

Jack, curious and helpless, just trailed after the big cat, having a sinking feeling in his stomach when the molly opened the door to his bedroom and walked himself right in.

Jack's room was much more lived in. A messy bed, the comforter, sheets and pillows a triad of blue, steel grey and white. Dirty clothes were tossed in a pile on a nearby wooden chair that didn't really belong in the bedroom at all. Some old furniture was in here as well, made of real wood and stained in places. Just a chest of drawers and a night table. There was a painting on the wall of a cornfield at sunset with a signature of J. Morrison, and here there were finally some old family photos scattered across the furniture tops and some nailed to the walls. The single window was covered by a threadbare blue curtain, and on the night stand was a lamp with a glass lampshade that looked as old as the furniture.

Here the room didn't smell sickly sweet like alcohol and old food. In this space the entire room just smelled like Jack, a hint of tobacco and something musky and masculine.

It was a good smell, and Gabriel circled the room, touched his clawed fingertips to the mattress and back up again as he made it rounds. Scenting and marking the space in tandem with the oils from his hands.

Jack stood in the entryway to his bedroom, watching the black cat do whatever he was doing. That intensity that he seemed to do everything with was back, and the blond felt like he was intruding on something.

"I want this space." Gabriel said boldly, a hint of steel to his voice as if expecting Jack to say 'no'. After all, this was Jack's most intimate territory and he was trying to exert a claim. As if to prove it, he sat himself down on the bed and tested on the firmness and fluff of the mattress. He finally tossed off his beanie, kicked off his shoes, and started to act like he owned the place.

Part of him expected to be kicked out, scruffed, and told the 'rules'.

As much of a pushover that Jack seemed to be. Still a far cry from the military veteran and the grumpy old drunk Ana had told him about; he expected deep down for this to be some type of final straw.

He wanted to see who Jack was, what kind of owner he was dealing with—

And beyond the practicality of his bold claims; he also was just feeling downright selfish. He wanted to roll in this new scent he found heavenly, without exposing himself so plainly by openly rubbing up on Jack(he still was standoffish enough to not do that, nor did he want to debase himself like an eager kitten).

Jack watched as Gabriel got himself comfortable. The cat almost looked smug(definitely did) as he laid himself out and nuzzled into the pillows and burrowed into the comforter with his big body. It felt like an out of body experience to see another man(a gorgeous man) roll himself in his bedding with such innocent intention that he felt like a creep-

Besides, not a man, a cat, an animal.

Jack was definitely going to have a hard time with this, and deep down he knew he should have some sort of boundary(if only for his sake). But seeing the big feline look so comfortable pulled on his heart and he didn't have the strength to tell him 'no'. He wanted Gabriel to enjoy it here, he wanted Gabriel to like it enough to stay.

This entire ordeal only pushed to the forefront how incredibly lonely he had been feeling and having another living breathing humanoid in his house was starting to ease that depressive ache that he had been overall trying to ignore for years.

Ana had been right, he definitely needed someone and he desperately wanted that someone to be Gabriel.

Maybe it was just him imprinting on the first positive contact he'd had since his tense outings with old military buddies and the occasional cup of coffee with Ana and her daughter. But, whatever it was, it made him feel wanted, and needed-

Knowing that Gabriel was reliant on him and was seeking any comfort he could provide in turn. This definitely gave him a new purpose, and if the cat was expecting a negative response; well, Jack definitely wasn't going to give that to him.

"Okay." Jack said, lowering the heavy bags to the floor by the door. "This can be your space."

Gabriel's head popped out of the blankets and pillows he had been buried under like a mole. Comically his hair was a curly mess on his head and his ears were immediately pivoted at the veteran in the doorway. His nose scrunched and his brows furrowed, clearly not expecting such a submissive response. Expecting a trick maybe, watching Jack a long moment but the blond didn't say anything else.

Jack instead crossed the room, rummaged around in the nearby dresser for a change of clothes and briefly went into the closet to retrieve a spare pillow and blanket. All of that was bundled under an arm and he offered Gabriel a genuine(if albeit tired) smile as he started to leave, "Goodnight Gabriel."

Before Jack left the molly offered a quick, "Goodnight Jack." Just as the door closed. He heard the footsteps hesitant just beyond the door, and he was hyper focused on the noise until the human retreated entirely down the hall. To the bathroom, by the sounds of it, since he heard the hiss of water starting to run.

Just like that he was moved in, and had claimed a space. No resistance, no catches.

Curious still, and without the heavy eye of his new owner, Gabriel slunk out from beneath the blankets and sheets. He tossed off the bulky weight of his sweatshirt to leave him in a tight undershirt. He walked over to his bags and started to unpack. First his knitted blankets were laid out over Jack's comforter to make an even bigger pile of fabric fluff on the bed. He arranged it along with the pillows to form a decent shape, somewhat like a nest but without the hard edges he'd prefer once his heat hit.

That done, he worked on the drawers, moving Jack's clothing down to the bottom and adding his clothing to the(now empty) drawers on top. Not a lot of variety in his clothing; he wasn't expected to really go anywhere and it wasn't like the house did a lot of wear and tear on fabrics.

He had two other knit beanies, a couple t-shirts, another hoodie, underwear, socks, and another pair of heavy duty pants. All of his clothing was black. None of his pants or underwear had any holes cut or stitched for his tail; he preferred to just wear the fabric low enough for his tail to pop over the top. He didn't like the way the fabric felt constricted around it otherwise(it was very sensitive, especially at the base).

Chores done, he walked over to the single window and drew back the curtains and the blinds. Took a little bit of effort but he got the old latch pulled back and yanked the dirty pane open. He was greeted with a rush of cold night air; smelling bitter with pollution and bright with windchill.

Too much light pollution to see the moon or stars, not that Gabriel had ever really seen them. He'd always been a city cat, the smells, sights, and sounds were something that just reminded him of 'home' on a base level.

The city at night was much more manageable than the city during the day.

Below he could see the cars rushing by on black streets, the overcast of the streetlamps and stop lights painting the ground in multiple colors, breaking up the monotony of monochrome. Humans were walking on the street below; their voices carrying, some chatter, some yelling, a distant blare of a car alarm.

Gabriel's attention was drawn from the cityscape to the balcony to his left. It was made of sturdy steel and wire mesh. There were stairs going both above and below, it looked like a metal door with a latch separated the stairwell from the floor of the balcony. It was close; that had to be off the living room?

He could probably jump from this bedroom window to the rail of the balcony but he didn't want to exert the effort. Not to mention dropping four stories if he didn't make it would definitely hurt(if not break some bones altogether). He made a mental note of it, wanting to check it out as soon as possible-

But, he'd taken over Jack's room, and he had enough excitement for one day. Maybe after a nap he'd find out what he could see from the balcony and if it would be an interesting place to roost in the future.

With that plan in mind he found his way back to bed. He shucked off his shirt and pants before he burrowed back into the soft nest he'd created. He inhaled deeply; letting the scent of sunshine, earth and tobacco drain the last remnants of tension from his muscles. Distantly he could still hear the sound of the city, and beyond that the sound of the shower still on in the bathroom.

It was comfortable, peaceful; it didn't take long for him to drift to sleep.


	4. Teacher & Student

It was still dark outside when Gabriel woke from his nap.

As he groggily returned to the waking world he was lulled into wakefulness by the rich scent in his nose and the soft blankets cocooned around him. The soft fabric and knitted cotton of his blankets felt like heaven on his naked skin and he couldn't help the deep throated purr he emitted to the empty, quiet room because of it.

His gaze moved from the still open window to the still closed door of his procured bedroom. His nose twitched with the wafting scent from outside, the chill in the air and the lack of fresh scent from Jack.

It seemed the human had respected his territory, but then again, maybe Jack was just still sleeping? Not that he expected the blond to barge in for any reason, but this was his apartment, and if he wanted to exude some control or a claim-

Well, Gabriel wouldn't blame him.

Curious to the stillness of the house and to interact with Jack, he got himself out of bed. Wrapped in one knitted blanket that acted as a buffer to the coldness of the house itself. Slowly he pried open the door and stepped into the hallway.

It was then he noticed the kitchen light was on, flooding yellowed light into the living room just beyond it. He could smell coffee; bitter to his nose, freshly brewing, could also hear the steady drip of it and the bubbling that resulted.

Cautiously still he proceeded down the hallway and could now see Jack's back to him where the blond was sitting on the couch. He was dressed in pajamas, his hair a mess from his earlier shower. He was hunched over a newspaper, reading glasses on and a cigarette was burning in the ashtray on the coffee table.

This close he could smell Jack's sunshine scent, the soap and shampoo he used earlier, as well as the low burn of tobacco.

Jack started when Gabriel's shadow swept into the room, recovering after just a moment, setting the newspaper on the table. "Did I wake you?"

"No." He said easily, sinking himself down on the armchair opposite the small sofa(more a loveseat than anything). Bundled up in his big blanket he felt safe and protected, his dark eyes studying Jack in the poor lighting, "You always get up this early?" The sun wasn't even out; but Gabriel didn't see a clock anywhere, couldn't tell what time it was.

Didn't matter though did it? Ana said Jack didn't work, and it wasn't like Gabriel had any appointments or plans.

"Sometimes." He said with a shrug and got himself up. He set his glasses on the counter and walked to retrieve two mugs from the cabinet above the stove, "Want some coffee?"

Gabriel contemplated it, tail lashing in thought, his reflective brown eyes watching Jack intently as he moved from here to there. "Sure." He said after a moment before adding, "You didn't sleep, did you?"

Jack hummed a moment, pouring the mugs, "Is it that obvious?" He asked a moment later, "Cream or sugar?"

"Cream." Gabriel said, "A lot of it."

"Ana told you some about me, didn't she? She's a gossip, she must have." He said in good humor as he returned back into the living room. He scooted a mug over to Gabriel and set his own on the ratty newspaper. He sank back down into the old couch and watched the cat across from him.

It was a little surreal how good this felt already, how easy.

Jack was good at taking orders, direction, at leading a unit. He was good at taking care of people and had a well of empathy that wasn't just tied in his medical background nor the depth of his familial bonds or his work on the farm. He was already determined to be better, to do better, if only so he could be a better provider for the molly who now resided in his home. To make Gabriel proud of him, as well as Ana.

He'd just met the cat, but this felt like exactly what he had needed, what he had been missing.

Someone to look after, to come home to.

Jack had no real way to express all that, so just sipped at his coffee and grunted, "Good?" When Gabriel took a mirrored sip.

"Yeah." He said, drinking down the warm liquid, the bitterness washed away by the velvet of the cream. "She told me some. Enough, probably."

"Not curious over anything?"

"No." Gabriel lied easily, not wanting to express how much Jack's scent affected him. Beyond that, he wanted to know more about the human but didn't know how to ask without seeming interested or needy.

It'd taken a few months before he even spoke to Ana, before he even bothered to be in the same room(always slinking off to another place if she lingered too long).

But with Jack, he was already sharing a drink and sitting across from him. Already talking and opening up a little. It was big strides in a short amount of time and deep down he just didn't know what to do with it.

It felt oddly familiar, similar to the infatuation he had before. To his teenage owner, when he had been young and stupid.

But, he wouldn't make the same mistakes this time. He owed that to himself. He'd grown too much and had finally repaired his beat up heart enough to just let it all go to hell again.

Even if he liked it here, even if he liked Jack, he wouldn't make the same mistake of falling for a shallow human who would throw him away the moment another human walked in the door.

Jack's expression fell a little and Gabriel cursed himself for feeling bad about it, "Well, I'm real curious about you."

"I am real interesting, and handsome." Gabriel preened with a toothy grin. His near empty coffee mug was warming his hands.

The blond was caught off guard by Gabriel's easy gloating that he snorted an ugly laugh. "Yeah, you are." He said with no real hint of teasing; just stating a fact which only made Gabriel beam all the more. "Can I ask you a question?" He asked once the mood tempered, watching the cat with an open expression.

"Didn't Ana go over anything about me?" He asked as nonchalantly as possible, but knew she had. She was a thorough woman and wouldn't have just handed him over to Jack unless she had made sure of things first. He appreciated that about her, and the move had been so sudden that he also missed her(just a tiny, tiny bit).

"She did." Jack nodded over to the kitchen counter where a big stack of papers sat sandwiched between manila folders. "Verbally, and gave me a briefing on your paperwork. We met at a coffee shop a week or so before now to go over things. She made the suggestion, and then we talked about if you and I would be compatible. She didn't just hand you over blind." He assured seriously.

It eased the ache that started in his chest. He tipped his head up, pleased by all the research, at how important he had been to Ana(even if neither said it out loud, and the fact they bickered more than they sat silent together). It did mean however that Jack knew everything. Everything penned down on paper; about his previous owners, the shelter, the foster owners and the breeders. Maybe he'd know about his fling with a human, but he never admitted it to anyone and he doubted the teen at the time had said anything either.

The laws weren't against human and animal couplings; but it wasn't common. Children from the couplings even less common(though Gabriel didn't know much more than rumors regarding hybrids and even less about rights and laws governing hybrids). Also marriage wasn't legal; the relationships viewed more like affairs and in most circles, not taken seriously.

Of course, these were things he knew now and not then or else he'd have saved his heart the trouble.

"I didn't think she would." Gabriel said carefully, watching Jack still, his tail idly swishing back and forth. "What do you want to know?"

"It might be too personal." He admitted after a moment, color blooming on his white face and exposing the sun bleached freckles. Gabriel could smell his anxiety which only worked to make him tense. "If it is, you don't need to answer. I've never," He didn't know how to phrase it and fussed in his seat a moment before he just huffed out the words, "I haven't really sat down with any pets before. Nor have I had any in my house, at any point in my life. You're the first, and this whole thing is new to me."

Gabriel didn't feel any which way regarding Jack's confession. Ana had already told him the details of Jack's history, and he already knew that. He didn't feel any sort of empathy, and actually it only highlighted how touch and go this entire thing would be.

Jack didn't know anything about taking care of him, nor did he know anything more about a pet than what was in the file. It meant Gabriel would probably suffer for it more than Jack would and it only worked to flatten his mood.

He was too old to hold someone's hand, even if Jack looked so earnest about it(adorable, if he would allow himself the thought).

The molly wasn't sure he was ready for direct questions. He wanted to keep his shell on for a while longer. Well, even if Jack asked, it didn't mean he had to really tell him anything. He eased back into the chair, getting a little more comfortable. The blanket he was wrapped in fell a little, exposing the hard line of his collarbone and the strong sweep of his shoulders. "Just ask." He said finally.

"What's it like being a cat?" He blurted out.

Whatever question he thought Jack was going to ask, that hadn't been it. It took him a moment to even process it, his brows furrowed and his ears forward. "What?"

"I mean," The blond faltered, "I heard things about heightened senses. Eyesight, smell. Maybe seeing in the dark? Mostly that," He felt awkward but tried to keep going, "That you're like a feral cat but bigger and you can talk. If that, if that makes sense?" He trailed, his voice getting smaller and smaller until it was snuffed out completely.

Gabriel stared at Jack a long moment after he had stopped talking. Mulling the questions over and trying to shrug off the general irritated feeling he got. The questions were innocent; Jack didn't know anything about him and likewise Gabriel didn't know much about humans(if he were honest).

"You don't need to ans-"

"I guess it's sort of like that." He said, cutting Jack off to make things easier and not interested in his blurted apologies. "I can see in the dark, shapes and movement, reflections. It's not like seeing in the day but our eyes are better than humans. Sense of smell, touch, sound, all of it is better than a humans'." He said, but that should have been obvious. "Heard we're stronger too, but I haven't fought a human. Teeth are sharper, we have claws." His brow pinched, "Probably a lot of what you know about feral cats can apply here. Aside from looking generally human, my anatomy is that of a cat. Or so, the vet told me." Once upon a time, when he was first marked ready for adoption. The general health program was given to all young kittens; how bodies were different, how to behave and act around humans, how fragile humans were.

"You've fought other cats before?" Jack asked before he could stop himself; knowing the facial scars Gabriel had and his halved ear was from an incident as a kitten. He couldn't see much other skin since Gabriel was so thoroughly cocooned aside from his head and shoulders.

"Toms." He offered a shrug, as if it wasn't a big deal. But the flood of fear washed over him at the memories. Of course, he was never drugged or tied down. Breeding programs didn't work like that(couldn't work like that, animal humanoids had rights and the ability to refuse anything non-life-threatening). He was merely put in a room with a tom and the two would either copulate or they wouldn't. Whenever the other cat tried, to grapple or pin or touch-Gabriel had lashed out. He fought off a lot of toms, and always at the sign of trouble, the door would open and the tom would be taken out to be replaced with another. At least, until the breeders got the hint that it was useless.

"Right." Jack nodded, having read over the files of course, knowing the subject of breeding was sensitive(Ana had told him so). "You're a molly which means-"

Gabriel hissed; unable to help it, baring his teeth and getting Jack to shut up immediately. "I'm not here to be your health coach. If you looked over the damn files you'd know what the fuck it means. Do we need to go step by step?"

Jack also remembered(a little too late) that Gabriel was very sensitive about his gender. He swallowed thickly at the sight of the fangs and the tension in the cat's body. Knowing that if the molly wanted, he could launch himself right over the coffee table and effectively disembowel him should he so desire. "I'm sorry." He said seriously, "I did go over the files. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

He relaxed back down with a grumpy, "Whatever."

But, Gabriel hadn't left, so Jack took that as a small win. "I was mostly curious what it's like because in the military there had always been talk about recruiting humanoids. They said that with their enhanced senses they could really change the tide of battle."

"We're not soldiers, we don't even get jobs."

"That's not true." Jack insisted after a moment, "Well, I actually don't know if they ever went through with recruiting. But, humanoids can have jobs, can live alone. There's been a lot of changes."

Gabriel didn't know a lot about the outside world. It was his turn to be curious, to analyze what the blond was saying. "Oh yeah, how?" He challenged at if Jack was trying to joke with him.

"I don't know the details." Why would he? He didn't know any animals personally(well, aside from Gabriel now) and he'd never owned or fostered any before. "But, something to do with passing some tests, getting permits. I know humanoids can work in certain facilities and are able to apply for housing in certain districts. I think they need to be a certain age before applying, but again, I don't know all the details."

"So I can go do these things?"

Jack looked taken aback a moment before he recovered, "Well, yeah, you could. If you wanted to." From how suddenly he met Gabriel to how quickly he could just run out of his life; well, as much as it suddenly hurt to think about, it would be a positive step forward for the molly. If that was what he really wanted.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes as if expecting a trick. He'd only ever been cared for. The thought of independence being achievable was so new and scary that he didn't really know how to react to the reality of it. He didn't have any humanoid friends; nor did he even know any in passing. He'd always been a one cat type of creature; too territorial to play nice with anyone else once he settled in. "I can't read or write a lot of words, I don't know math." He said it with such brutal honesty it was nearly a growl; as if upset he had to admit any type of vulnerability.

"We can work on that." He said easily, not missing a beat.

Wary as he was about it all, he was intrigued. "Why?" He asked, ears back.

"If it's something you want, I want to be able to help provide it for you. I want you to enjoy your time here, because I'm already enjoying having you here." Jack said, "If later, you want to leave, that'd be fine too. But, I'd really like you to consider staying."

"You don't even know me." Clearly, neither of them knew each other just yet aside from face value and some verbal gossip.

"Nope. You don't know me either." Jack winked, and it was the first time Gabriel had seen him be playful. "But, that can change. Especially since it'll take a while for you to learn everything anyway. We got time."

"I'm a fast learner." Gabriel groused back, but was already starting to melt under Jack's easy charm.

"I'm sure you are." He said with no hint of mocking to his tone, completely sincere. Jack got himself up a moment later, empty mug in hand and walked himself to Gabriel. He extended a hand out, "Want a refill?"

Gabriel let Jack take the mug from him, "Sure."

The blond walked into the kitchen, his back to the cat as he went about refilling the mugs and adding the cream. The pot empty, he put another on before he started back to the living room. "Here." He said when he gave Gabriel the fresh mug before taking his seat again across from him.

He watched Jack a moment, just letting the coffee sit between his hands again, the steam and smell of it tickling his sensitive nose. "What do you want?"

Jack looked confused; his face(Gabriel was coming to find) was extremely expressive. Almost as open as the blue of his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"For teaching me all this, for letting me apply for things."

"I'm not letting you do anything, you can do whatever you want on your own, you're your own person-"

"I'm not a person." Gabriel cut in rudely, tapping his claws on the ceramic of the mug, his ears back.

"Right." Jack said, clearing his throat. He was definitely going to struggle with that barrier. As much as he knew on a base level Gabriel wasn't human(his obvious feline traits staring him right in the face) it was still hard to drive that stake home when he was having a real conversation with someone. "I just mean, I want to help you achieve whatever goals you want. You're already helping me, just by being here, by living with me. You don't need to do anything else. I don't expect anything else."

Despite the sincerity in Jack's tone, it was still a hard pill to swallow.

Hadn't he heard all that before?

 _'You're more than a pet to me. I love you and I just want you to stay.'_

"Okay." He said even though he felt wary about it. Not trusting Jack just yet, though letting himself hope a little, that this would all work out, that Jack would really mean everything he had just said. "When can we start?"

"Whenever you want." Jack said.

Gabriel took notice of the bags under Jack's eyes and the slump of his shoulders. How the nicotine and coffee was probably the only thing keeping him awake. Insomnia; Ana had said, which meant Jack didn't sleep well, or not at all. As selfish as he normally was, he felt he owed it to Jack to say, "After you get some rest."

"I don't need it." He insisted and finally Gabriel heard the steel to his voice; not entirely directed at him, maybe directed at himself?

"Tough." Gabriel snorted, "It's my condition. You sleep, then we'll work. Deal?"

Jack looked like he was about to argue before he just nodded, offering a sheepish smile as if realizing how childish he was about to be. "Deal."


	5. Nightmare

It took some time; but eventually Jack fell asleep.

The two of them had talked about nothing in particular when the blond had finally settled on the couch with his blanket and pillow he had taken from the bedroom earlier. Gabriel watched when Jack's body finally relaxed and his breathing had evened out-

Then, surprising him completely, were the deep hazy snores that the blond emitted after just a few minutes into his deep sleep.

It was endearing in a way. How sleep softened the rough edges of his face, the loud sound not irritating even though Gabriel thought it should be. After a few moments of watching and listening the big cat finally stood up from his chair and started to explore the room.

Without Jack's eyes on him, he felt more at ease to touch and sniff and look at anything he so pleased. He left his blanket on the chair as he walked around the space, the living room mostly sparse and uninteresting. He touched everything he could, scent marking it to ease his own nerves; the house slowly starting to smell like him(even if Jack wouldn't be able to smell the oils he was depositing on every item, he could smell it, and any other humanoids that might come in would smell it).

He paced around the space before he came to the sliding door at the opposite side of the room. The balcony was still a curiosity but he felt like it wasn't the time. He thought if he opened the door Jack might wake up and he did want the man to get a few hours of sleep, at least. So, he shelved his curiosity for another day.

Instead he found himself in the kitchen, opening each drawer and cabinet. Inside he found utensils, and the foodstuffs were all canned. There wasn't a rack of spices, and no dried herbs like at Ana's house(or like other houses he had been in). He made a face at that; he hadn't had canned food in a long time. The foster owners he had, including Ana, had prepared fresh meals. He hadn't had canned food since his stay at the pet store, and with his first abusive owner.

He moved on to check the fridge, and he was just as disappointed. Inside was next to nothing; just some bottled drinks, a few condiments. Nothing fresh, no meats or fruits or vegetables. He frowned to himself; he was starting to get hungry, but what was he going to eat?

Even if he was primarily a carnivore, vegetables and fruits would suffice. But, he didn't even have that option.

Gabriel left the kitchen a moment later, passing by the files on the counter but there was nothing in them that he didn't already know, right? It wasn't like he could read them either, so he left the paperwork and kept going down the hallway.

He figured he could kill some time showering, and he needed one anyway. Despite the common misconception, not all cats hate water. Gabriel actually loved baths. Especially when he could spend hours in one, just soaking.

But, a general search of the bathroom came up blank on anything he was used to in the bath. No salts, no special soaps, nothing to give him the nice aromas or the comfortable velvet he was used to feeling when he soaked.

He growled to himself; why did Jack deny himself simple comforts? Didn't he like baths? Fresh food?

Gabriel huffed and shucked off his underwear; the bathroom door slightly ajar(so he could hear if Jack woke up). He decided on a shower, since a bath wouldn't be as soothing as it usually was. He checked the spray, waited for it to get hot enough before he stepped inside.

The warm water washed over his naked skin and flattened the curls atop his head. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back; enjoying the smell of steam and the heat of it all. Moaning soft as the tension eased out of his muscles.

After a short soak under the spray he reached for the shampoo and soaps. Lathering himself up and getting doused with the heavy artificial scent of it all. Smelled like Jack; at least the artificial side of his scent.

Gabriel frowned to himself as he spread the lather across his figure, blinking the water from his eyes when he needed to bend. He felt a little strange coating himself in Jack's scent. It nudged the primal feral side in him he stamped down daily(only allowing it to scratch to the surface during his heats).

His primitive molly brain latching onto what he was doing and taking it as a positive. Coupled with the fact he'd made a nest out of Jack's bedding and made a den of his bedroom. How he'd accepted a drink and given himself to easy conversation and even agreed to engage further.

His stupid hindbrain had taken these actions and interpreted them as mating signals. Especially as close as he was to his heat(just a few weeks off), his body and mind were gearing up for the experience. Normally a long, painfully lonely experience. But now that he had started to imprint, things were already getting complicated.

His unconscious mind was trying to tell him Jack was compatible, just by scent alone.

This didn't mean anything.

Just because he was starting to be comfortable, and just because he had claimed Jack's room, and just because Jack was turning out to be a decent person-

It wasn't like he was doing it on purpose. It wasn't like he wanted to be scent marked.

He'd just met him!

This was just some byproduct of his irritating molly nature. Coupled with his years without a mate(if he could even call the teenager he'd fallen for a long time ago a mate at all).

Sure, in the shelter he interacted with mollies, toms, omegas and alphas. But none had piqued his interest. None even enough to share more than a passing conversation with. The humans he'd boarded with had been no different. Just another fixture in his life that he didn't always need to even acknowledge. Even the breeding pens; those humans and those toms, all not worth his time or effort in the least.

He'd always felt defensive, bristly at the slightest inconvenience. Not getting close to anyone and never accepting any sexual advance. He'd learned to release his own frustrations, alone. Learned how to work his own body to completion and sometimes comfortable pliance. He'd convinced himself over the years(ever since he broke his heart) that he didn't need a mate, or even a friend. He could manage on his own, he could exist without anyone in his personal bubble.

He'd never get hurt that way; if everyone was kept at an arm's length.

Helped, when he was moved from home to home, from shelter to shelter. Since he didn't imprint, since he wasn't even conversational or friendly, it was easy to uproot over and over again. He'd gotten so used to it that Ana became an anomaly, lasting so long in her home he'd almost thought that maybe, just maybe it'd work out-

But then she'd also pushed him out, over to Jack. But Jack was, well he was-

Jack, even when he fumbled in conversation earlier, Gabriel hadn't felt the need to flee or attack. Even getting grumpy, he'd done little more than hiss and soon after was soothed by the return of conversation and a warm cup of coffee. The usual aggression he normally felt was tempered, even by just being in the presence of Jack.

It was still too soon to tell what it was(if it was even something at all).

Previously, only Ana had been able to soothe him enough to tolerate her and her daughter. Even the few friends she'd invited over before. He'd never claimed more than her couch, and she'd given him his own soaps and shampoos. His own meals and treats and knitted blankets. She'd doted on him more than he'd ever gotten before but he'd never imprinted on her dry desert scent nor ever tried to muscle his way into her bedroom.

He'd never felt any sort of attraction to Ana and had just a tolerance for her he wasn't sure what to call that either. Hardly anything as deep as friendship, but there was certainly some sort of bond there.

Even during his heat he had never been tempted for Ana, or anyone else in the shelter, breeding pens or foster care.

Jack he'd known just two days and the blond was already scrambling his brain.

Part of him was worried for his heat now. Would that be different too this time?

Gabriel grumbled to himself as he rinsed, shaking his hair out and glaring up at the ceiling when he stayed under the spray longer than necessary. The hiss of the shower only assisted in letting his thoughts get away from him. The constant drone making it easy to overthink as he was sucked up into his own head.

It wasn't until the water started to lose its heat; the chill causing goosebumps to rise up on his skin, that Gabriel came back from his foggy headspace. With a hiss to the cold water he shut off the taps and grabbed the fluffy towel hanging on the bar outside. Quickly he scrubbed down his hair and dried his naked body. Dripping onto the floor he grabbed up his underwear and yanked them back on. His damp flesh causing the fabric to cling to him like a second skin(leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination).

He tossed the used towel on the sink and pushed back his matted, wet curls to get them out of his eyes. He didn't know how long he had been showering, but it should have been long enough. For Jack to get a nap in, for them to be able to move on to the tutoring he had tempted him with.

He needed the distraction anyway, and he also wanted to talk to Jack about a shopping list.

When he nudged the bathroom door open the rest of the way he immediately knew something was wrong. He tensed, his tail stood straight out and his ears flattened. Something in the air felt like static and he cautiously started to edge down the hallway.

He couldn't hear Jack snoring anymore; instead there were other sounds. Low noises that could almost be words if maybe he'd get close enough.

Each step brought a little more visibility to the next room, until finally he was in the entrance to the living room and could see the blond laid out on the couch. He was moving; jerky and unnatural, his skin was covered in a light sweat and he stank of fear.

That smell was what must've gotten his hackles rising earlier before he even registered what it was.

He could see the flutter of his eyes under his lids; he'd kicked off the blanket sometime during his fevered sleeping and he looked like he was struggling to breathe.

Gabriel didn't know what possessed him to 'fix it', but something forced him into action and before he knew it, he was kneeling at Jack's side and running his hands through his hair. Cupping his face until the blond made a high wheezing sound and tried to lash out. Immediately he grabbed his wrists(just in time before got punched in the face), his own strength easily able to quell Jack's though the blond struggled through it.

"No-No-!" Jack babbled, skin flushed and breathing in throaty pants like there wasn't enough air in the room.

"Jack." Gabriel said, voice pitched low, his side pressed into the base of the couch as he leaned a little over Jack, still holding onto his wrists to be sure he wouldn't try and fight through his dream. "Jack." He crooned again, but the stink of fear was still prevalent, nauseating almost; sitting like oil on the back of his palette and making it hard to focus-

His own instincts were getting confused by the influx of scent; his hind brain trying to tell him to find a safe space to hunker down in until whatever it was passed. 'Danger' was like a neon sign flashing in his mind's eye, even if logically, he knew there wasn't any danger at all. Just Jack having a bad dream.

It would take a few more minutes of wrestling and Gabriel's deep voice pitching Jack's name low enough to finally be heard by his subconscious; but finally, those blue eyes opened up, blown wide from his fear and blinking rapidly to try and understand what had just happened.

All at once their eyes seemed catch and Gabriel could see the realization dawn in them, the lucidity returning in just a few seconds from being woken up.

Gabriel felt it safe to let Jack go and the human scrambled up to a sitting position the moment he was released babbling an apology, "I'm sorry, shit, I-"

"Ana said you have nightmares." He explained away, to try and ease the anxiety and tension that only added to the bitter smell of fear still hovering in the air.

"Yeah it's why-"

"You don't sleep."

"Yeah." Jack finished sheepishly, skin still pink from his nightmare exertion; hair still clinging to his forehead by the sweat still glistening on his flesh. Clothing stuck to his body which only made everything feel that much more gross.

Gabriel got up from the floor to plant his ass on the opposite end of the couch. His body turned towards Jack, watching him still with a calm stare; the blond still trying to mostly compose himself, not looking directly at him. "Talk about it?"

Jack jerked his head quickly in a 'no' before he verbally added for good measure, "No." Deciding to add a moment later, "I don't really remember them when I wake up anyway. It's more the feeling; there's some sound, bright colors, but everything else is a blur."

"I don't dream." He said as a way of pushing the conversation somewhere less awkward. Not sure what was compelling him to stay seated on the couch, to stay being close to Jack, or even talking to him so casually. Beyond trying to understand why he did what he did, and just let it all happen(for now). "Or, if I do, I don't remember anything either."

It seemed to work; Jack eventually gets his breathing under control and slowly his gaze shifts to finally regard the cat at the end of the sofa. Noticing for the first time since bursting awake that Gabriel is nearly naked-

Somehow, that works enough to put the brakes on any residual panic he had been feeling. His breath catching for an entirely different reason as he stares (a little too) openly at the cat's displayed physique. "Why're you-" He falters, "Did I interrupt you from something?" Of course he could smell Gabriel's shower fresh skin and the way his hair was still dripping. Clearly he had been in the shower, but he didn't know that Gabriel had just wanted to walk out like that, just in his underwear and still damp.

Looking like a literal wet dream.

"I finished showering and came out here." He offered a shrug before adding, "I like baths. You need bath stuff."

"Noted." Jack said, his gaze catching sight of the blemishes on Gabriel's body. Missed before in his quick once over, but now that he was really looking, he could see lines of white scars here and there. Old puncture wounds and patches where his skin looked folded; burned maybe? His brow furrowed and his gaze of appreciation was becoming one of concern-

Immediately Gabriel snapped his fingers in front of Jack's face and said with a growl, "Up here."

"Sorry, I-" He blushed bright red and didn't know what else to say. Bad enough that he had been ogling him, and worse when he had started to draw attention to a clearly sensitive subject. It wasn't like Jack was without scars himself(and really the nightmares were just a scratch on the surface to all his scars that couldn't be seen).

Gabriel had ignored the way his mind wanted to preen at Jack's staring; at least, until he had seen the change. When Jack had finally noticed the marks on his body, when his interest shifted from lust to concern. He didn't need the pity in those blue eyes, and he didn't need to explain how he got them either.

There was a file for that; and even the memories of it all had his mood souring completely.

"I'm getting hungry." Gabriel said by ways of shifting the conversation again, not wanting either of them to linger too long on his past, "You don't have any food."

Jack's brows furrowed at that and he couldn't help but blurt out, "I do. It's in the cabinets."

"Canned."

"Uh, yeah."

"Not food." Gabriel snorted with a frown; the new subject distracting enough for both of them to forget whatever had just happened between them.

"Well," Jack started, leaning back into the arm of the couch, "I don't know how to cook. So, we could order take out."

"You don't know how to cook?" He couldn't even comprehend the sentence. Isn't that what humans had to learn? Every human he had been with knew how to make meals(aside from his terrible early years with canned foods). But every stable home he had been in, there had always been cooked meals.

"Nope." He said with a shrug, as if it were no big deal.

Well, it was a big deal. Gabriel was not living on canned food anymore and though he'd had take out every now and then(from what he understood, take out was just another human cooking from somewhere outside the home); it would be much easier and much faster to get food if Jack just made it.

"I'll teach you."

That had Jack's eyebrows shooting up into his hairline, "You'll teach me?"

"Ana showed me basics. I'll teach you to cook and you'll prep me for the tests." Gabriel said, his voice a grumpy grumble as if the thought of cooking his own meals was taxing. "You need to get a list of all the things she uses." He'd helped Ana in the kitchen for over a year, watched her make meals. It couldn't be too hard to show someone else. Once Jack knew how, then he could rely on him for meals and not have to burden himself again.

"Okay."

"And don't forget the bath stuff."

Jack couldn't help but laugh, offering Gabriel a smile, "Okay, and bath stuff." He continued after a moment, "How about we get all that stuff tomorrow? It's been a long morning already and I need to shower, and we can work on some prep. I can order take out just for today?" He tried to coax and it seemed to work.

Gabriel nodded, mostly pleased with the arrangement. Even if he wanted everything right now, he could at least concede for the day. He felt like Jack needed it, a day to recover from all the excitement, and maybe he needed it too. "Deal."


	6. Jesse McCree

Over the next few weeks they had settled into something of a routine.

Gabriel assisted Jack with three meals a day, and in turn the blond had taught him how to spell words and math while they were cooking. It was easy to bundle the chores in together and by doing it that way it was an easy learning experience for the two of them.

He still had a long way to go before he mastered anything well enough for his tests, but the same could be said about Jack who still struggled with burning toast and over cooking meats. He also had no palette for flavor and no stomach for spicy foods.

But, they'd both get it in time.

Aside from that, they also worked on cleaning the entire house. Mostly, Gabriel had been there for moral support(napping on furniture and generally being in the way), but eventually the house was cleaner than it had probably ever been. Which made Gabriel feel overall better and he had seen some shine come back to Jack as well.

Since Jack had been so occupied with him he hadn't gone out drinking nor had he bought any booze for the house. Both were steps in the right direction(Gabriel had gotten used to Jack's company and attention).

The sleeping arrangement remained the same, though sometimes when his nightmares were bad, Gabriel would occupy the seat across from the couch and keep watch. It had become somewhat of a pattern for Jack to startle awake and have Gabriel there a moment later soothing him with touch and getting him to talk.

They started to learn more mundane things about each other and the bond between them had started to slowly grow.

Everything definitely felt more calm and a lot less scary now that they'd found a comfortable swing.

So it was only a matter of time before the human had to break from the norm.

"Are you going to be okay?" Jack asked for the millionth time.

Gabriel only huffed, rolling his eyes visibly from his spot draped over the back of the couch. His chin was on his folded arms and his long black tail was whipping back and forth lazily in the air. "Yes Jack, how many times are you going to ask? I'm not helpless. I can cook better than you."

Jack hesitated by the door, dressed to go out, even his hair had gel in it. It seemed he'd taken effort for the first time to really make himself look healthy and functioning. Gone were the soft edges and the vulnerability that Gabriel had grown used to. Now Jack definitely looked like the soldier he used to be, capable and strong jawed.

"I know." Jack said, knowing the cat was perfectly capable. He'd left numbers by the house phone and there were plenty of things to entertain him. But part of him worried; he just wasn't used to having someone in his house, someone he was responsible for.

It'd been a few years before anyone had really relied on him.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" He'd asked this question too, too many times for Gabriel to count.

"No I don't want to be around a bunch of drunk humans. Hard pass." Gabriel said with a snort, dressed casually in his sweatshirt and sweats. He wasn't planning on leaving and honestly had never been on a casual outing.

Sure, trips to the vet. Trips to the store. Trips to get medicine.

But never a recreational outing, he didn't even know how to act in a human social setting. It had been a long, long time since he'd been around more than a couple people at one time.

Really, he'd prefer it if Jack just stayed home.

But, he wasn't willing to fight that battle, and what reason did Jack have to stay with him? Earlier, when he'd felt especially bratty with the realization of being left alone, he thought about breaking something or faking an injury.

But, he wasn't a kitten anymore. He could manage some alone time.

"Are you sure-"

"Go," Gabriel said with growing impatience, "I'll be fine."

"Okay." Jack said finally, grabbing his keys on the hook by the door, and pocketing his phone from the kitchen counter. "Just call me if something comes up."

"I will Jack." He grumbled, dark eyes watching the human fuss and hesitate a little further.

Until finally, the door opened and Jack gave him one last wave, "I'll be back by midnight. That's twelve on the clock. Goodnight Gabriel."

"Goodnight Jack." He said just as the door shut and he was finally left alone.

It didn't strike him until later that maybe Jack was looking for an excuse to stay? Had he wanted to stay? Did he want Gabriel to need him?

But eventually even those thoughts were buried under his general lethargy. He'd slip in and out of consciousness as he dozed on the back of the couch, just killing time.

It wasn't until there was a loud sound outside that he startled awake. All at once he had arched on the couch with a startled hiss, fur standing on end until he realized no one was in the house. No windows had broken, the front door was still shut and padlocked.

There was a loud 'bang' again, rattling, metallic.

Eventually he realized it was coming outside, where the balcony was. He'd never satisfied his curiosity from before, and now that he was alone and unimpeded, what better time than now? Especially with whatever was happening outside, he wanted to scout out the new territory and defend it if need be.

Cautiously he approached, and the sound suddenly stopped.

He tugged the white blinds away to reveal the metal balcony and the city scape beyond it. Outside was dark, and a brief glance to the wall clock revealed it was close to eight. He'd been out a few hours before the sound had awoken him.

His tail flicked with interest, his ears perked forward and he pressed himself against the glass door to get a better view outside. Through the reinforced wire of the balcony floor he could see the apartment below. On that balcony stood a man in a cowboy hat; smoking, the bright orange of the end standing out like a firefly in the gloom.

Gabriel watched the man a long moment but he did little else but smoke and stare and eventually the curiosity got the better of him.

He urged the door open and stepped out onto the balcony, immediately hit with the smell of the city and that of the burning cigarette under his feet.

"Did I bother you?" Came the velvety drawl under him.

Gabriel tipped his head down from where he was leaning with his back against the rail, able to see the man standing below. At least, what he could see from this angle(which wasn't much).

"The door sticks sometimes." He explained further; which solved the mystery of the loud noises he had heard earlier.

"No bother." He lied, and after a moment the stranger tipped his head back enough so he could see him through the gaps in the metal floor.

Young, from what he could tell. Had the start of some scruffy beard, and his outfit matched the cowboy hat on his head. He was wearing a blue flannel shirt, dark wash jeans and a red bandana around his throat.

"Ain't seen you up there before." He said, taking a slow drag of his cigarette as those honey brown eyes squinted up at him as if trying to recall a memory.

Gabriel shrugged, "New here."

"Live there?"

"For now."

"You fuckin' Jack?"

Gabriel sputtered, indignant, "No! What-What kind of question is that?" He was about to storm off when Jesse's laughter hit his ears.

Jesse just grinned, snubbing his cigarette on the rail of his balcony. "Sorry, just too easy. Don't get your fur all fluffed up." He teased, "Jack's a good guy. Talked to him a few times. Mostly keeps to himself, haven't seen him bring anyone else up there 'sides from Ana is all."

He settled down after a moment, crossing his arms and frowning down to the grinning man below, "Nosy one aren't you?"

"Nah." But after a moment he shrugged with a snort, "Maybe a little. Hard not to be in a community this small."

"How long you been here?" He couldn't help but ask.

"Couple years, give or take."

"You live alone?"

"Nah," He said, his eyes softer and his tone a little less playful, "Recently tied down, finally made it all official."

Gabriel was quiet a moment before he offered a stiff, "Congratulations." Never liking the twinge in his chest at the thought of relationships. He thought he squashed down on his needs a long time ago and wanted to just blame it all on his upcoming heat(and how easy it was to be around Jack).

Of course, this man hadn't helped either, putting the lewd thought right back into his head.

Jesse tipped his hat, that grin right back in place as his amber eyes danced, "Name's Jesse McCree. What should I call you?"

Gabriel had the choice to walk back into the house and ignore the chatty stranger. But, Jack wasn't home, and inside was just boring without the human around. He debated a few moments more before he decided there was no real harm in having a conversation, "Gabriel."

"Why don't you come down here so we can talk face to face?" He asked, but after a moment of Gabriel's silence he added, "Or I can come up there."

He didn't want anyone to come up into his new territory, still feeling a little vulnerable with his new claim. Going down into Jesse's territory was just as unappealing though. He kept his frown, about to decline when the other man spoke again as if sensing the impending rejection.

"C'mon doll," He said with his syrupy drawl, lifting the hat off his head and exposing the two frayed canid ears there, "We got a lot more in common than you think."


	7. Cruelty

He found himself down on Jesse's balcony after the reveal; the hatch to his own balcony wide open above them and it was just a few quick hops up the ladder to get back home. Down here, he leaned against the railing to face Jesse.

He'd offered him a smoke which he declined, he wasn't one for human vices, but everything about this canine intrigued him now.

He'd never interacted much with animals at the shelters he had been at and his previous owners and foster humans didn't have any other pets either. This close Jesse's scent was overpowering; unappealing and extremely masculine to his nose. Like oiled leather and freshly cut lumber, the hint of cigarette smoke cutting through the cloud of it all.

This close too he noticed that Jesse's left hand was metal. Something he couldn't tell from his vantage point above before. Figured the whole arm was probably a prosthetic, but with the long sleeved shirt he couldn't be certain of it.

"Lost it a couple years ago." It seemed the canine noticed his staring.

Gabriel grunted to the admission, face hot from being caught. He asked after a moment, "How?" To disperse some of the tension he might've caused.

If Jesse was bothered by talking about it, he certainly didn't show it. Having lit another cigarette he merely puffed on it a few long seconds before he exhaled, "You heard of dog fighting?"

"Doesn't the name explain itself?"

Jesse laughed, "Suppose it does. But, I ain't talkin' about feral dogs. Talkin' about canines like myself. I was part of that, fighting rings for gangs. Entertainment."

Gabriel suddenly felt uncomfortable by Jesse's easy admission. His narrow world view hadn't given him much insight on abuse. He'd suffered some as a kitten, but he'd never been forced to fight someone(warding off toms didn't entirely count, he didn't have to duel to the death), or degraded for crowds as entertainment.

Also, when he asked the question he didn't think he lost his arm in a violent way(aside from an accident of some sort).

"I was good at it. Fighting, killing." Jesse continued, the mood between them more somber. "Didn't lose, couldn't lose."

He had noticed briefly his torn up ears when they had been revealed. Noticed too when he'd gotten this close that Jesse had half a tail, and there were fine scars on his face; over his brow, across his lip and jawline.

But Jesse also couldn't be older than his mid twenties(if that). How long had he been there? Gabriel felt nauseous but asked anyway, "How many?"

Jesse whistled low, smoke coming from his nose, "Lost count. Stopped counting somewhere around a hundred. Stopped learnin' their names. Stopped caring about the guilt." He continued, "It was them or me. Down there it was lawless."

He frowned a little; but he'd watched westerns on TV, and Jesse definitely looked like a cowboy. "Like the old west?"

"Yeah, exactly like that." Jesse said, "The more I won the more I got. Got my own room, had my own caretaker, felt like a proper show pony. Got some more freedoms, got my own money."

"Isn't all that illegal?" Gabriel said after a moment, confused now that Jack had been educating him on the laws and regulations. Sure, he knew something had been in place, Ana had briefly went over things and a few of the people that used to care for him had made him somewhat aware. But before now, he hadn't paid so much attention.

"Oh yeah, extremely illegal." Jesse said, "But, I was swept up as a pup. Didn't know much better, was in too deep to do much about it even if I ended up knowing better."

"You didn't want to run away?"

"Run where?" He asked, nothing sharp about his tone, as easy as talking about the weather, nothing showed discomfort in Jesse's body language. Easy, as he had been the first time the started talking, "Had nowhere to go. Lived my whole life in cages. Working for scraps. Was sold to the DeadLock gang when I was thirteen." Jesse shifted a moment, lifting the back of his shirt and letting Gabriel's see the tattoo on his lower back. An image of black angel wings, a skull and two guns was imprinted into Jesse's caramel skin. "Marked as theirs when I kept killin' everyone they sent to me. Meant if I did run away, they'd be able to find me."

Jesse let the silence settle a moment before he continued, "Treated better than I ever had been treated before when I became a real show stopper though. Got to interact with the people coming in to watch. Got to get a percentage of the bets placed on me. Able to buy my own smokes and whiskey; any luxury I wanted." He snubbed the spent cigarette into the rail like the one before, "Killin' ain't so hard after a while."

Gabriel absorbed his story with silence, unsure what to add or what to say. He endured it, because Jesse had wanted to share it with him, "You're not with them now." He observed.

"Well," Jesse clucked his tongue, "One night, I lost." He eased into it, "Each fighter is weighed and put into a category. Weight class is important because even though it's about the life or death fight, it's also about fairness. After all, who wants to see a bear kill a duck? It's not entertaining if it's one-sided."

As morbid as it was, Gabriel could follow the train of logic and nodded for Jesse to continue. As much as he was repulsed by what the canine had gone through; he wasn't going to impede him if he wanted to share his past with him.

"Anyway." Jesse said, "The fight was fair. Sometimes we're given weapons, or people toss shit in when it drags too long. Usually just debris, pipes, glass, knives maybe. That night though, someone threw in an axe." He paused a moment, as if to gain composure but he turned his gaze to Gabriel and asked with a sheepish smile, "Ain't boring you am I? I tend to chatter."

"Boring? How could any of this be boring? It's horrible." Gabriel balked.

Jesse couldn't help but laugh, eyes crinkling in good humor as he snorted out, "Guess so. Just checkin' is all. I can stop if it makes you uncomfortable, probably should have asked that long before I got so deep in."

Gabriel waved a hand, ears perked forward in interest, "Continue. If you want to. I'm listening."

Jesse nodded once before he did just that, "Well, I was slow to go for it. Barely saw it when it was thrown in. I was a little distracted that night 'cause Hanzo had shown up."

"Hanzo?"

"My mate, I'll get to it." Jesse waved it off, "Anyway, he was there that night and I wanted to impress him. He'd been there before, but he hadn't shown so much interest in me. Felt a lot like one-sided courting. When I had time before a match I'd chat up the patrons, but I gravitated towards Hanzo something fierce. The most beautiful human I have ever seen. Months I was twisted up inside wanting to get his attention."

Gabriel was unsure how 'beautiful' a person who frequented dog fighting rings could be, but kept his comment to himself.

"So, let's just say, my head was somewhere else." Jesse said with a grin that offset the dark substance of his story, "So when the weapons were thrown in, usual broken up shit and the axe. Well, I was slow on the draw. Had a broken piece of wood, which isn't much against a real weapon. Was already tuckered out and trying to win. But they had the upper hand. They fought wild, unpredictable, broke through my little piece of scrap and hacked at me pretty good."

His eyes were dark, staring off somewhere; maybe at the past itself as he continued to talk, "First time I felt real fear in a while. Bled more than I could ever remember bleeding. Before I knew I found myself on the ground. Grappling for my life but they were just stronger than me, I was already pretty beat down. Funny thing, I didn't feel it when he chopped my arm off." Jesse said, face scrunched up as if puzzling something out, "Didn't hear nothin' either. Everything got muted. Like all the sound was sucked out of the room. Could only hear my heartbeat, could only smell blood."

Jesse rubbed at the back of his neck a moment, exhaling and shaking off the residual memory, the feelings from the past. "Thought my time had run out. Was expectin' that axe to split my head open, saw the crazed look in the other alpha's eyes, saw the axe too, right there." He said, still calm despite the emotional retelling, "Then his head exploded."

"What?" Gabriel couldn't help his exclamation, confusion coloring his face.

"Exploded." Jesse said, honey brown eyes shimmering in the gloom, "Just popped like a grape. Whole body landed on me, I was covered in blood and brains." He said, "Then all of a sudden my angel came into focus, Hanzo."

"He killed him?"

"Yeah." Jesse said, grin on his lips as if it was the best thing to ever happen, "Shot him from the bleachers. With some revolver, heavy duty thing, why his face just exploded off. Firearms aren't allowed in the ring, nor underground at all, but Hanzo didn't give two shits about that." He said with a fond snicker. "He saved my life."

"Why?" He asked before he could conclude if it was insensitive to ask such a thing.

Jesse didn't seem to mind, just rolled his shoulders as he stood to his full height(which surprisingly, was just as tall as Gabriel was), "Guessin' he was sweet on me and had just been playin' hard to get." He cooed a moment after, "Most romantic thing to ever happen to me."

They definitely had different views on romance.

"Then what happened?" Enthralled, he couldn't help but ask.

"That's another long story, and just talkin' this much has made me mighty thirsty. Why don't we get outta here and I can tell you all about it after I get a good drink?"

Gabriel felt tense all of a sudden, glancing up to his balcony(where he belonged), "Go where?"

"Outside. In the city. Somewhere, we'll figure it out."

"I don't know." He hesitated, pushing off from the rail.

"C'mon, live a little. Haven't you ever roamed the city before?" By Gabriel's lack of response Jesse's eyebrows shot up into his hairline, "Don't tell me you're a house cat? Ain't you kinda old to be a lap kitty?"

Gabriel growled, offended, "I'm going home-"

"No, no," Jesse backtracked, "Didn't mean nothin' by it. Just wasn't expecting it, if you are. Was just thinkin' we have a lot in common, thought we could keep chatting a bit, enjoy each other's company is all."

"What do we have in common?" Gabriel didn't climb back up the ladder, but his ears were folded back and his tail was lashing. Lingering, because Jesse had indeed proved interesting and even if the thought of being out in the open city scared him; he was also curious where it would all lead. He'd never had such easy freedom before, and even though he just met Jesse, he felt like he could trust him.

Though, Jesse was a 'killer'; forced or otherwise. His baby face might just be fooling him into this false sense of security.

But, even though Jesse was just as tall as Gabriel, he wasn't as filled out. Wiry still with youth; they were definitely not in the same 'weight class'.

"Well," Jesse gestured to his whole body, "Aside from the obvious." Both being animals, even if not the same species, that was a given, "Figured you've been through the ringer too. Figured you weren't just born with those scars and that ear." He continued, "Just made a guess your life hasn't been easy either."

"Easier than yours." He shot back; but maybe Jesse was right. They'd both experienced hardships, and both had been hurt by human hands.

But it seemed Jesse had risen from the ashes of his past, able to communicate his trauma and even found love in the wreckage of it all. That was what really intrigued him; whoever Hanzo was and how that came to be.

It made him think of Jack; deep down he wanted to know what to do about that.

"Maybe." Jesse shrugged, "But, this ain't a contest. Just askin' if you'd like to go get a drink with me and we can continue our little chat."

Gabriel relaxed his posture enough to indicate he wasn't going to try and leave again, "Going out to a human bar?"

"Well, we could, but I had something else in mind."

"What is there but human establishments?"

Jesse snorted with a wide grin, "Ah honey, there's way more than just that. Let me show you the world you've been missin'."

This was the moment of truth; he could either climb back up the ladder and wait for Jack to come home. Or, he could take a leap of faith on Jesse, a humanoid he'd just met.

He hesitated just a few minutes, biting his lip and thinking it over. He still had a few hours before Jack would be home, right? He'd be back by then. "Okay. Let's go."


End file.
